Clinical Practice Requirements and Outcomes

Clinical Practice Requirements

Teacher candidates in the Educator Preparation Program in the College of Education at Sam Houston State are required to complete a minimum of 30 hours of field experience prior to student teaching. During the student teaching semester, Sam Houston teacher candidates are placed in a SHIPS school district for two 7-week placements. Some EC-6 student teachers may have one 14-week placement.

The teaching candidates in Level I Field Experience are to engage in passive observation while completing field experience on campuses. Teacher candidates are required to complete and document ten (10) hours of public school field experience while enrolled in the following courses:

Field experiences in Level II provide "hands-on" opportunities for SHSU teacher candidates to connect and apply their university coursework to public school classroom environments. Level II field experiences emphasize lesson planning, and the application of acquired pedagogical knowledge and skills in public school classrooms. Level II Field Experience courses are listed below:

CIEE 4334 - Mathematics in the Elementary School

CIME 4336 - Teaching Social Studies in the Middle Grades

READ 4205 - Content Area Reading Grades EC-6

CIEE 4335 - Science in the Elementary School

CISE 4364 - Methods of Teaching in Secondary Schools

SPED 3301 - Learning and Instruction for Young Children with Disabilities

Field experience is the final step of the teacher preparation program for SHSU pre-service teachers. During the student teaching semester, Sam Houston teacher candidates are placed in a SHIPS school district for two 7-week placements. Some EC-6 student teachers may have one 14-week placement. Candidates will gradually increase their involvement during each placement to full teaching responsibility, literally making a transition from student to teacher. Classroom mentor teachers and university supervisors share the responsibility of assessing and evaluating the student teacher's instructional and classroom management skills. Student teaching is completed during the final semester prior to graduation.